Calgary father says parole decision for daughter’s killer ‘outrageous’
CALGARY — A Calgary man has started an online petition with the hope of revoking day parole for a woman who was imprisoned for his little girl’s death.
Ryan McGrath’s daughter, Ceira, was 18 months old when she was asphyxiated by the strap of a car seat while inside a closet for hours at an unlicensed day home in November 2015.
Elmarie Simons, the home’s operator, pleaded guilty last April to criminal negligence causing death and was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison.
The Parole Board of Canada has granted Simons day parole — a decision which McGrath says sets a frightening precedent in cases involving serious offenders.